With Christmas fast-approaching, most people’s minds are focused on shopping for gifts, decorating the old homestead and planning those fun holiday parties.
But Christ the King Church in Oxford (1550 W. Drahner Rd.) is hoping to remind people about the real reason for the season with its original production of ‘The Little Drummer Boy? Thursday, Dec. 18 through Saturday, Dec. 20.
‘It’s an opportunity for people to come and hear the Christmas story in a great, new way,? said Steve Harms, who authored the full-length musical/drama. ‘I’m hoping people will let their hearts and minds be touched by what this season is truly all about and get entertained in the process.?
Three nightly performances of the two-act play are planned, all beginning at 7 p.m., along with one Saturday matinee scheduled for 2 p.m. Including intermission, the play is expected to last between two and two-and-a-half hours.
Admission is free for all performances.
It took Harms, a 48-year-old Brandon Township resident, two years to write the play.
‘It was just an inspired desire to do something that would help promote the faith,? he said.
Harms? play was inspired by the classic Christmas song ‘The Little Drummer Boy,? which tells the fictional story of a poor boy who couldn’t afford a gift for the baby Jesus so he plays his drum for the newborn savior.
‘It’s my personal favorite,? he said.
The play will feature performances of other Christmas classics such as ‘Do You Hear What I Hear??, ‘O Holy Night?, and ‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.?
‘The inspiration was to take some of the songs of the season and use them in a way that would drive the story along like in a traditional musical,? said Harms, who also plays the role of King Herod in one scene.
Basically, the play is the story of the three kings (Magi or Wise Men) from the East who, guided by a shining star in the heavens, journeyed to Bethlehem to bring gifts to the newborn baby Jesus lying in a manger.
King Melchior is played by Yvan Giralte, of Brandon, King Balthazar is being portrayed by Gary Shorland, of Oxford, and James Ivory, of Oxford, will bring King Caspar to the stage.
Weaved into this traditional story is the fictional life of the Little Drummer Boy, played by Austin Murphy, of Holly.
The Little Drummer Boy character has no biblical basis, so Harms was free to create the story of how he comes to meet the baby Jesus and play his drum for the tiny savior of mankind as he does in the classic Christmas song.
In Harms? version, the Little Drummer Boy was a happy, healthy child who suddenly found himself orphaned and poor.
On his own, the boy gets sold into slavery, but is rescued by the famed Wise Men on their way to Jerusalem and Melchoir makes him part of his family.
When the Little Drummer Boy meets the baby Jesus, he has no gift other than playing his drum. It’s at that moment the boy makes the personal decision to believe in Jesus and what he represents.
‘He has nothing else to give but himself,? Harms said.
Harms didn’t want to give any details away, but he promised a ‘nice little twist at the end? and a big finish.
‘We have a way for it to come full circle for the drummer boy,? he said. ‘It ends on a very, very positive note.?
This has been a most ambitious project for both Christ the King and Harms.
‘We’ve never done anything like this ? nothing along these lines in terms of drama,? Harms said. ‘We’ve been working on this since May.?
‘It’s a big under-taking,? said Director Pat King, of Oxford, who’s been directing church productions for 10 years. ‘It’s more than we’ve ever done before. It’s a challenge.?
Over the years, Christ the King’s been well-known for its various stage productions, most notably ‘The Yellow Brick Road,? which ran for a number of years.
‘I think all those other little things have prepared us to do something of this caliber,? King said.
King noted unlike many of the church’s previous productions, which involved many children, ‘The Little Drummer Boy? is a drama that’s ‘not a kids show by any stretch of the imagination.?
That’s why it’s recommended that audience members be at least 7 years old.
For Harms, this was the first full-length production he’s ever written. Prior to this, he’d penned skits lasting five to 20 minutes for Christ the King and his previous church, Oxford Free Methodist.
Harms, who works as the vice president in charge of ticket sales and corporate advertising sales for the Detroit Tigers, worked on-and-off at writing ‘The Little Drummer Boy? between 2004 and 2006.
It was coming up with the middle part that took so long.
‘I knew how I wanted it to start and I knew how I wanted it to finish,? he said.
With about 100 people involved in the production on stage, in the choir and behind the scenes, the play’s given lots of people ways to get involved and share their talents.
‘It’s just opened up so many possibilities for a lot of different people who have never done anything like this,? King said.
The play’s publicity team has been promoting the play a ton in surrounding communities, so Harms expects a big turnout and recommends coming early to get a good seat.
For more information about ‘The Little Drummer Boy? call (248) 628-0038 or visit www.littledrummerboy.ctkc.org.